Queen Rania is in Dubai today to talk about women’s issues in the Middle East, here are some of the most powerful things she had to say…

Today and tomorrow marks the first Global Women’s Forum to ever be held in the Middle East, and it’s taking place right here at the Madinat Jumeirah in Dubai.

The two day conference will see great minds from the Middle East and beyond delivering speeches and sharing their thoughts on how to boost and support the influence of women across the globe.

READ MORE: 10 great quotes from H.H. Sheikh Mohammed

This morning, Queen Rania gave the keynote speech at the conference to a packed room, with H.H. Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai in attendance.

She focussed on the MENA region in her keynote speech, here’s some of what she had to say…


1. “A society’s expectations of women directly reflect its confidence in its own abilities and own potential.”

2. “We have to break the molds that shape women and girls from the moment they are born. We must break the molds women are born into. Molds that have been passed on through generations, undermining women’s talent and ambition.”

3. “Innovation breaks molds. It’s neither limited by norms and institutions, nor is it dependent on agendas. Its possibilities are infinite.”

4. “When a woman succeeds, she reaches out to those around her and pulls them up with her. If you empower a woman, you empower a whole society.”

5. “I am here to ask to the innovators among you to come up with solutions and initiatives to protect Arab women’s rights… These difficult times with extremist thought gaining ground, mean we have to work very hard to protect women’s rights… We need innovators and our best minds to help the Arab world regain ground lost and not lag behind the rest of the world.”

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6. “With time we began to curb our views of the potential of women and ultimately limit their active involvement in society.”

7. “Dubai started when His Highness Sheikh Mohammed imagined an oasis of prosperity and development that competes in countless fields internationally.”

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Photos: Queen Rania/Instagram.